Water

Water in New Mexico got a couple of passing mentions in the Summer 2007 issue of PERC Reports. Brandon Scarborough's article, "Buy That Fish a Drink," summarized development of voluntary markets of tradable water rights, which were called "an alternative to costly and inefficient regulations that dictate water allocations..." New Mexico is one of the states where the Bureau of Reclamation and state agencies have been buying water rights "to meet water requirements for endangered species and interstate compacts."
Laws in Montana, Oregon and Washington facilitate the free exchange of water rights. In New Mexico and other states, "political, legal and even social barriers have inhibited markets and thwarted efforts to restore flows for fish and wildlife."
See www.perc.org.